


Berry Picking

by Cantatrice18



Category: The Sound of Music - Rodgers/Hammerstein/Lindsay & Crouse
Genre: Escape, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-09
Updated: 2014-06-09
Packaged: 2018-02-03 23:11:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1759315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cantatrice18/pseuds/Cantatrice18
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While on the run, Brigitta learns that her stepmother Maria had been helping the children along more than they knew. With the help of her siblings, she decides to repay the kindness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Berry Picking

They abandoned the car as soon as they could. It was too easy to trace, and besides, there were no roads where they were headed. They hid the car in a ditch, careful to cover it with greenery so that only a close observer would spot the gleam of painted metal. Then they proceeded on foot into the mountains. The journey was not easy. Few paths were carved into the steep faces of the Alps, and even these faded away as they climbed higher. It was lucky, in some ways, that the mountains were not heavily wooded, or else the undergrowth would have slowed their progress to a crawl. As it was, they still struggled through the muddy clearings and scrambled over rocks, careful to make as little noise as they could whenever they were in the open. Through it all, Maria kept the children entertained, their morale strong. Though all of them knew the danger they were in, Maria’s boundless energy made it seem as though it was all one big adventure, an adventure that led to an exciting new life in Switzerland, not an interminable exile away from the home they all loved. She led them all in games and lessons, and many times they all broke into such fits of laughter that it was impossible to keep silent. Captain von Trapp did nothing to quell the merrymaking, but he watched his new wife closely as she helped the youngest children climb up rocks and taught them trail signs.

It was on the evening of their third day as fugitives, when the family had camped beneath a shady cluster of trees. Liesl and Friedrich had made them a soup from a combination of supplies they’d brought with them and herbs the children had found along the way. It had not been particularly filling, but as Maria cheerfully told them all, “Anything the Lord cares to send by way of a blessing is better than nothing at all.” With that scant comfort, and with the now familiar ache of hunger gnawing a bit less after the makeshift meal, the children settled down for bed. Brigitta was the last to fall asleep, for she had snuck a small paperback novel into her bag of supplies and had been slyly reading it by the shafts of light that filtered through the branches above from the nearly full moon. Now she tucked the book beneath her pillow and turned over, pulling her cloak more snugly around her. About to doze off, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Turning, she saw her father and Maria standing in the shadow of a large tree, nearly hidden from view. Her curiosity getting the better of her, Brigitta crept forward until she was near enough to hear what was being said.

“…know what it is you’ve been doing,” the Captain was saying softly, a hint of the old curt annoyance in his voice. “Do I have to keep as close a watch on you as I do the children?”

Maria shook her head, her voice as quiet as his. “I haven’t been doing anything that isn’t necessary.”

“Necessary?” the Captain’s voice momentarily rose, but a glance towards where the children were sleeping quieted him once more. “You call it necessary to starve yourself to death, all the while cheerfully humming songs about flowers and trees?”

Brigitta was lucky that a rustle of wind hid her gasp. When she could hear again, she heard Maria saying firmly, “…perfectly fine. I’m used to fasting, as a nun, and the children need it more than me anyway, they’ve been working so hard, and after all—“

“After all nothing,” the Captain rejoined. He took a step closer, wrapping firm hands around Maria’s waist. “I didn’t go to the trouble of falling in love with you just to lose you to some damn fool idea of Christian charity. The children need you to be strong and healthy as well, to help them get by. We have another three days ahead, if we’re lucky. If not, it could be a week before we reach a safe section of the border. I cannot and will not let anything happen to you.”

“Oh, my love.” Maria leaned in, resting her head on the Captain’s breast, and Brigitta suddenly had the uncomfortable feeling of intruding on something private and intimate. She retreated to the sleeping cluster of children and knelt by the side of one. “Luisa, wake up.”

Luisa groaned and turned over, muttering indistinctly. Brigitta rolled her eyes and tugged hard on a lock of her sister’s hair. Luisa sat up with a start, eyes burning with indignation, but Brigitta held a finger to her lips. “Shh,” she whispered, “This is important.” Quietly she told her sister what she’d overheard. Together the two pulled on their shoes, tucked their packs beneath their cloaks on the ground so that it looked as though someone still slept there, and retreated into the shadowy depths of the forest. 

Morning dawned bright and sunny, and Maria woke to the sound of birdsong. There was another sound too, though, one she recognized. Frowning, she opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by grinning children. The noise she’d heard was the unmistakable sound of children giggling, and as she sat up the giggles increased. At the foot of her bedroll sat Brigitta and Luisa with their hands behind their backs, looking as pleased as a cat who’d caught a mouse. Together the girls brought forth their prize: a makeshift basket created from the girls’ bandanas absolutely brimming with wild strawberries. “We knew you weren’t getting enough at mealtimes,” explained Brigitta calmly. “So we gathered these for you, to make up a bit for the meals you’ve missed.”

“Surprise!” cried Marta, and she and Gretel hugged Maria tightly. Maria returned their hugs, but her eyes were on the pair of girls in front of her. “Thank you. Both of you. You are the greatest blessing I could ever want.”

Both girls blushed, and Luisa handed the basket forward. “Try some.”

As the children watched in anticipation, Maria selected a single tiny strawberry and bit into it. “Well?” demanded Kurt. Maria smiled. “The best I’ve ever tasted.”

With the cheers of the children ringing through the clearing, Maria rose to her feet, her soul refreshed by the love of those that surrounded her, and the taste of strawberries on her lips.


End file.
